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Though it may take a little longer, what’s hot in retail always makes it over into the promotional products world. And why wouldn’t it? People want what’s in style, and if you provide something that’s trendy and has your logo on it, it’s a win-win for the customer and for the brand.

We recently attended the GAPPP (Georgia Association of Promotional Product Professionals) expo here in Atlanta and were not surprised to see lots of new products that fell right in line with retail trends. We saw a lot of two trends that are super hot in fashion right now: metallics and leather.

Tons of fashion magazines from Elle to Glamour are calling metallic the it look for summer and fall.

The Huffington Post calls leather one of the top fall fashion trends of 2013 and it was very well represented (along with faux leather) at the GAPPP Expo as well.

One of the most tricky things about finding the perfect promotional product is figuring out what product your customers will want to keep (and see your logo each time they use) and at the same time, what products align with your brand’s message. If you want to communicate an up-to-date, fashion-forward message, take note from what’s going on in retail. No doubt there’s a version that is customizable with your logo.

Hello, local readers! Hot off the press is this week’s edition of our weekend guide, filled with the best things to do in and around Atlanta this Thursday through Sunday. As always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Enjoy your weekend!!

And while I found some funnier than others, it got me thinking about using humor to promote your brand. Some of the top brands use humor in their advertising and it’s wildly successful.

The first thing that comes to mind is AT&T’s “It’s Not Complicated” campaign, which features a man asking groups of children questions like, “Which is better, faster or slower?” and their hilarious answers. AT&T’s message is that their service is simple and easy to use, but these commercials use a round-about way of illustrating that message, focusing on the humorous aspect of the kids’ answers more than anything. (I researched it a litte bit to see if these ads are scripted. Apparently they do have a “guided script” but often stray from it because the kids’ off-the-cuff answers are much funnier than anything the script writers have come up with.)

Or what about Atlanta’s own Scoutmob? The daily deal (but better!) site capitalized on the “cool because it’s ironic” mustache trend and added a mustache-cam to their app. Having an app that allows you to choose from different types of mustaches and put them on the pictures you take with your phone has nothing to do with daily deals, but it’s funny.

And while I’m taking about Atlanta companies, we can’t forget Mailchimp. This email marketing service provider uses humor as an integral part of their brand image. Whether that’s little things on their site that they do (after you send a campaign, one of your options is to “eat a banana”, which takes you to a Chiquita Banana Youtube video or the funny things they show around their office like their life-sized mascot, Mailchimp understands that while the product may be great, sometimes an extra laugh really drives it home.

So, back to coffee mugs. Coffee mugs are one of our most popular product categories. For good reason too; I mean, what better way to show off your logo than putting it on the vessel for your customers’ daily java habit.

While most coffee mugs get the job done, there’s something to be said about having your mug, the one with your logo, being your customers’ favorite mug. And while this might have to do with the quality or size of the mug itself, maybe adding some humor to your mug could make it shoot up on the mug popularity scale. (I rank my coffee mugs in order of favorite to least favorite, don’t you?!)

What if you came up with something humorous – it could be generic, it could be related to your industry – and put it on one side of your coffee mug? On the opposite side could be your logo. It’s a great way to get your brand out there while also showing that you have a sense of humor. And you never know, it might become your customers’ favorite new coffee mug.

Hello, local readers! Hot off the press is this week’s edition of our weekend guide, filled with the best things to do in and around Atlanta this Thursday through Sunday. As always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Enjoy your weekend!!

Here at Pinnacle, we have a full-service art department. They are a talented bunch (seriously – look at some of their videos) and if you need logo design, they’re at your disposal. But if you want to try out your hand at designing a logo yourself, you need to know where to find more fonts that the typical Arial, Georgia and Tahoma that come standard on a PC. (We won’t even mention Comic Sans!) So, I’m going to tell about a favorite website of mine, dafont.com.

At time of publication, this site has 20,099 fonts for download! Some are free, some are donationware and some are shareware. The best way to go about finding a font that you like is to click on the type of font you’re looking for, let’s say your’e looking under “fancy” for an “old school” font. Click “old school” and the more options button. From there, I like to choose the “free” or “public-domain” button. This means that you can use this font for commercial purposes. If you’re selling something, a t-shirt, a mug, etc, it’s considered commercial use. If you’re unsure, choose that option to be safe. There are still tons of choices available.

So, check it out and see what you can find. And remember, please send us Illustrator .ai or .eps files if possible! If not, don’t dispair, we can work with what you’ve got. Like I said, we have a super talented art team here. (Check out our FAQ page for information about artwork submission.)

Hello, local readers! Hot off the press is this week’s edition of our weekend guide, filled with the best things to do in and around Atlanta this Thursday through Sunday. As always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Enjoy your weekend!!

I’ve become quite fond of the phrase, “Aint nobody got time for that!” (Do a Youtube search if you have no idea what I’m talking about.) Though I don’t actually use the word “aint” in real life and I like to think of myself as somewhat of a stickler for proper grammar, the phrase is just so useful. I can think of many scenarios where it has popped into my head as the right thing to say.

So, even though it’s become a viral Youtube sensation, the truth of the matter is that most people are really strapped for time and finding ways to save time really is important. So, I bring you: time-saving promotional products.

You can find products that will help you save time in pretty much every category. Here are some that I’ve come up with, but I can assure you, there are others.

Office items have become commonplace whether you work in an office or not. Untangling the many USB cords that you have or unplugging something from your computer so you can plug something else in: Aint nobody got time for that. Fortunately, there are products out there (on our site!) that can help you keep your cords untangled and allow you to plug in many USB devices into your computer.

What about drinkware? Pouring yourself a cup of coffee and drinking it at home before you rush off to the office: aint nobody got time for that! A sturdy, spill proof travel mug is your answer.

Finding your pen, stylus and highlighter at a moment’s notice? Aint nobody got time for that! How about a 3-in one writing instrument that can make searching in your bag for a highlighter when all you can come up with is a pen (and an old piece of gum) a thing of the past?

And then you have the ultimate time saver: our RocketShip 24-Hour Express Service. Your order will be processed in as little as one business day after artwork confirmation.

I could keep going on and on about time-saving products in all sorts of different categories, but aint nobody got time for that.

Hello, local readers! Hot off the press is this week’s edition of our weekend guide, filled with the best things to do in and around Atlanta this Thursday through Sunday. As always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Enjoy your weekend!!

Tomorrow is May 4th. May the 4th be with you! Get it? According to Wikipedia, May 4th is considered a holiday by Star Wars fans and a day where they can celebrate Star Wars culture and honor the films. And what better way to show off their affinity for Star Wars than with promotional products.

Unsurprisingly, all the most popular product categories are represented when it comes to Star Wars merchandise.

In this case, the Star Wars brand is what people are specifically looking for. People enjoy the brand, so they seek out the product. But even if your brand doesn’t have the same sort of recognition, fortunately, the opposite works too: people enjoy the product and seek out the brand.

And to let you in on a secret, I don’t even think I’ve ever seen Star Wars. I know, I know.

Hello, local readers! Hot off the press is this week’s edition of our weekend guide, filled with the best things to do in and around Atlanta this Thursday through Sunday. As always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Enjoy your weekend!!